


Just a Broken Arm

by sans_souci2



Category: Hawaii Five-0 (2010)
Genre: Episode 19, Hurt/Comfort, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-07-07
Updated: 2011-07-09
Packaged: 2017-10-21 03:06:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,878
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/220205
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sans_souci2/pseuds/sans_souci2
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A hike with Danny goes very  wrong .<br/>Thank God, it's  just a broken arm.<br/>But wait a minute....</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

The problem with being a Navy SEAL is that by you learn not to acknowledge pain and sometimes, that's not such a good thing-especially when pain is your body’s way of trying to warn you that something’s wrong.  

When Steve's rolled up from the recovery room to the ortho floor he’s already insisting he doesn’t need to spend the night . 

“ I'm fine Danny ....I have what, a broken arm.... and a few cuts and scrapes ? “ 

“And a concussion and a possible liver contusion and you’re damn lucky to be alive so zip it Babe. “ 

Steve’s still coming out from under anesthesia and the pain med they dosed him with in recovery so his campaign for freedom is pretty short lived. Danny settles into the recliner next to his bed as soon as he sees his eyes drift shut. 

 _Stereo naps._

 _Just what the doctor ordered._

When Steve wakes up an hour later and his arm feels like it’s in a vice he’s mainly pissed off – figuring correctly that the pain was what woke him up. He tries to get comfortable and drift off but for a stupid broken arm, his is hurting like a son of bitch. The nurse put a little controller in his hand a while ago and said something about pressing the button if he needed pain medicine. As much as he hates the stuff, he’s stuck here for the night and Danny is obviously out for the count so he pushes the button. A soft beep and flashing green light on one of the pumps on his IV pole promise relief is on the way . 

Or at least, is supposed to be.

Thirty minutes later he’s panting and feeling sick to his stomach it hurts so bad. It’s not just throbbing , steady pain. It’s  God damn pain on crack. It feels like his arms’s literally being crushed -the way it feels, he should be seeing  blood seeping out from under his damn fingernails . There’s another button somewhere on the bed to call the nurse but he can’t bring himself to hunt for it . At least not yet . He’s a SEAL God damn it and it’s just a broken arm. 

A half hour goes by of clenching his jaws and panting through the eight minute intervals the pump insists on before it will release another dose of morphine,. He’s cold and clammy but sweating as he lays there waiting out each eternal interval.  The thought occurs to him that this isn’t exactly normal for a broken arm and he tries to wiggle his fingers to check for signs of something being really wrong. The good news is his fingers move, the bad news is the pain it causes is so excruciating it’s amazing the shocked gasp that comes out of his mouth doesn’t wake up Danny . He gives in and starts hunting for the call button but any little movement ratchets up the pain so he just waits until he can press the button for more morphine.    
________~_____________

“ Dan…..ny” then a little more desperately, “ Danny - w…wake up….. something’s wrong. “ 

Danny shakes his head and blinks like a cartoon character all muzzy and messy haired and totally not expecting to face what he’s about to, “ Hey Steve, “ he yawns, still not seeing clearly, “ They give you any jello yet ?” 

“ Some....thing's……w…wrong. “ 

Okay . That voice alone is enough for Danny. He’s up and leaning over Steve in a heartbeat.  “ Steve what’s is it ? “ 

“ My arm - hurts.” 

In a way it’s a relief . This is something they can deal with, “ Okay babe, we’ll get your nurse down here pronto. “  He pats the sheets looking for the call button, then remembers the little controller she gave Steve , “ Hey, bright idea, " he points to his head, "let's  try that pump of yours first-“ 

“ No. ! “ I’ve been using it --- each word looks like it’s pure agony. Danny’s scared and confused but tries not to sound it. “ Okay . Okay . Don’t worry I’ll call the nurse. “ he finds the call button and presses it and nothing happens which is maybe okay if you want a bedpan or a sleeping pill . The way Steve looks – grey and sweaty and like someone is twisting a knife in him- it's flat out not okay . Danny runs to the door and yells at top volume, “ We need help now i!”

It brings more than a few bodies into the room but it’s a shit show of people milling around asking Steve stupid things like what level his pain is from one to ten when the poor guy ‘s eyes are welling up and he’s looking at Danny like he just wants to be put out of his misery. Finally Danny can’t stand another second of it.

“ Listen to me ! “ It’s full volume and it’s eyes blazing and the room goes instantly silent. . “ This man is a Navy Seal and ex Naval Inteligence Officer who , as a rule, refuses medical treatment  and pain relief and basically pretends to be the newest version of the bionic man  and , so- "  Danny's hands slice through the air emphatically, " when he’s writhing in pain ,which he is and has been for some time, we have a fricking situation on our hands.  Now, what  I want, is a doctor in this room, in one minute to figure out what the hell is going on or I’m taking names and going to Board of Health and JACHO and anyone else who wants to know about patient care that is so inexcusably bad it borders on criminal “ 

Someone runs out the door and someone else monkeys with Steve’s morphine pump to up the dose but Danny is oblivious to all of it  because because he ‘s leaning in over Steve trying desperately to dial back the agony on his face." Look at me Steve, take a deep breath." 

Bless his heart , deep breaths turned worthless about two hours ago. 

“ I can’t Danny…..Oh God… Oh .....sh.....it  ,"  he's  panting so fast he's close to hyperventilating, " shit … oh ....please.....God... “ He’s practically sobbing and his legs look like they’re running some kind of race to try and get away from the pain the way he slides them up and down and sideways . “ Please …Dan..ny"  he begs, " tell them.... to knock me.... out.“ He’s squeezing his eyes shut and grunting and moving every which way he can but none of it is working, 

“ Hang on  Steve, "   It's stupid but it's all Danny can come up with.  He's  trying to give  Steve's shoulder a reassuring squeeze but he's a moving target, " They’re getting the doctor, Steve, he’s going to be here soon , he’s going to help you. “ .  

__________~_______

Thank the fucking Gods that Steve’s doctor, a burly Italian named Peronne , hadn’t left the hospital when his pager went off. Thank them even more that he was a top notch orthopedist with a take no prisoners attitude .

The man was big and when he stormed into the room it just like that- a storm blowing in. 

“ What the hell's going on? “ he dares anyone to tell him. 

A frightened looking still pimply faced red haired intern answers, “ Mr . McGarrett is status post closed reduction of a fractured left radius three hours ago and is complaining of sudden onset intense pain. Neuro vascular exam is normal however he demonstrates exquisite pain to palpation and vital signs consistent with significant pain. “ 

“ So what do you think is wrong,“ Peronne growls at the guy .

‘ “I….I…. don’t know sir.” 

“ Well I do ! “ the man roars . “ Get a cast cutter in now and call the OR- tell them we need a room stat for an emergent ,potential loss of limb case.”

Danny feels dizzy listening to the man  and watching the fast paced , terrifying show that plays out next. They cut the cast off Steve’s arm which is shiny and swollen and purplish . Then Peronne, who he’s starting to love, is on the phone screaming that he needs someone form Anesthesia now. Meanwhile the pain is only getting worse and Steve is starting to literally go out of his mind, “ Dan…ny he gasps…. It’s okay , tell them I want them to take it off ..” 

“ What ? “ Then he gets what he’s saying , “ No you don’t babe, that’s not what you want, you want them to get rid of the pain. “   
   
“No…ooooo ! “ Steve’ s scream makes more than one stomach in the room knot , “Cut it off ! Please…. Cut it off!” There are beads of spit at the edges of his mouth and his eyes are wide and wild . Danny has no doubt that if he’d give him a knife he’d do the job right now . 

“ Can we please give him some more God damn pain medicine, "  he yells . A nurse says something about having to wait for Anesthesia and he wants to wring her neck.  

Thankfully Peronne’s screaming diatribe on the phone a minute ago worked and an anesthsiologist bustles into the room. He’ s pissed to be yanked somewhere he doesn’t think he needs to be but when he see Steve, his attitude does a 360'. 

Danny watches what happens next with his finger nails digging into his palms. The Anesthesiologist asks Peronne a few quick questions then whispers something into Steve’e ear and shoots a milkly white liquid into his IV that suddenly and frighteningly knocks him unconscious. 

 _Game on ._

Suddenly there’s all kinds of activity in the room - the kind that Steve would so hate. They flatten his bed, tilt his head back and cram a tube down his throat. Oxygen is attached , more drugs are shot into his IV and before Danny knows it they’ve got him transferred to a stretcher and are flying down the hall like bats out of hell .

“ Please , “ he says softly, fists still clenched, “ Will someone please tell me what is going on. “ 

_________~________

  
The person who stays back to tell him what’s going on is the pimply faced intern who's a first year doc, fresh out of med school and not too confident about his diagnostic skills but as Peronne would say, a _mensch_. He sees how desperate and scared Danny is and tells him that every once in a while, and he chooses his words carefully because he’s been to the risk management mandatory seminar, a cast is for some reason too tight and something called compartment syndrome happens."   There’s lack of blood flow," he explains , "which means lack of oxygen to tissues that causes extreme pain.  If it's not treated in time, necrosis, a fancy name for tissue death sets in and amputation is necessary"  

“ So what  do they do to treat it  ? “ Danny asks incredulously. He feels likes he’s been transported to some new, ungodly universe where the news is all bad. 

  
The intern stays calm. “ They’ll do what’s called a facsiotomy- they’ll open his arm and make deep incsions in the muscles to relieve the pressure. They’ll leave everything open , his muscles will be exposed and covered in sterile dressings. “ The intern pauses, “ If everything goes well, in five or so days they’ll go back to the OR and close him up “ 

 _Okay._

Danny knows a minefield when he’s dropped into the middle of one. He takes the news in stride though because that’s the way he does things. He stays cool when he explains what’s happened to a shocked Chin and a close to tearful Kono when they show up with a pizza expecting to surprise Steve with something a lot better than whatever's on his tray that night . 

But a little later when they go off to find some sodas and the door to the Surgical Waiting Room closes, he drops his head in his heads and takes a deep shuddery breath.  

 _It was just a broken arm._


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A four part finale that finally gets Steve out of the hospital.

I. Facing the Facts

"Hey, you’re awake.”

Just barely. He blinks hard to bring Danny into focus but it’s still like looking through a gauzy curtain.

“So you look … like shit.“

At first he’s encouraged. Danny sounds … well, like Danny.

Then comes a more hesitant sounding,“ So how’s the pain?”

The worry that he's kept out of voice until now surfaces and all Steve wants to do is extinguish it, “It’s … better.“ _God his throat hurts_. "I’m … good ”

“You're good?" Danny's eyebrows go up and he gives that little snort of his,"Well that might be just a bit of an exaggeration babe but hey, go ahead and play the stoic SEAL card if you want.”

He's not being stoic. It's true; the pain's better. He wonders what they had to do to tame it. When he looks do

wn to find out, all he can do is stare.

“ I know, it kind of threw me the first time too.” 

 _Are you crazy?_

Danny sounds like what he’s seeing is okay, like it’s just going to take some getting used to.  _Getting used to?_ There’s a snake-like incision zigzagging from the crook of his elbow all the way down to his wrist. It looks like they sliced him open then couldn’t get the skin edges back together so just left a two inch wide gap between them. There’s a transparent dressing over the gruesome looking thing, which means he can see straight down to bone and muscle.

“ Why?" he finally manages to croak.

Even after Danny explains it to him, he’s still shell shocked- it’s one of the goriest things he’s  ever seen on anyone still alive.

“Look,” Danny’s saying, “in four or five days tops they’ll take you back to the OR to sew you up. You’re even going to get a pin put in your arm to repair the fracture- no cast for you after this."

He’s breathing fast and only hearing bits and pieces of what Danny’s saying and none of it makes any sense.

“What’s wrong, Steve, are you hurting?”

What he's just seen has him reeling too much to lie, “No, the pain's better, I … swear.”

It's true- even with his arm splayed open, the pain is so much better than it was.

Danny must sense he’s telling the truth because he goes looking for some other reason for him to look the way he does, “Come on Steve, it’s not that bad. As soon as they patch you up, you'll be home getting 24/7 TLC from yours truly and trust me, I, Danny Williams am one hell of a skilled nurse.”

There’s no way he can reciprocate the tease in Danny’s voice but he does manage to nod at him and tries to tell himself Danny’s right-it's not that bad. It’s still too early to really believe it though because just looking down again makes him feel sick to his stomach.

Probably the best thing to do is not to look so he closes his eyes.

“You tired, babe?”

He nods that he is and hears Danny sit down in the recliner next to him.  All he wants to do is drift back off and not have to deal with whatever it is they've done to him but the rest of his body is starting to check in with its complaints.  He shifts to relieve the pressure on his back, which feels like one gigantic bruise and instantly winces. It's just a wince though and not anything like what he was doing when the pain was so bad he would have paid to be knocked unconscious. 

Danny still doesn't like it, “Hey, I saw that- what’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong … ” He winces again, this time for another reason. I just have to … pee.”  _God he hates this._

“No you don’t.”

“I think ... I’d know, Danny. “

“Oh no, my handsome, hurt friend, that’s where you're wrong.”

He rears back with a confused frown, which makes Danny immediately lose the tease in his voice. “You’ve got a catheter, Steve, you know a tube where us guys really don’t want one? You might feel like you have to pee but, trust me, it’s being taken care of.”

“Seriously?“ His face wrinkles with disgust. “But, I don’t need it - I can damn well pee on my own for God’s sake.”

“Well maybe you can now but while you were knocked out, it sure came in handy and I don’t know, call me crazy, but, it might still come in pretty handy given the fact you'd have to pee laying down.“

“What ... why?”

“Look at your arm, big guy – if you sit up and twist around to try and do your business, the thing will start bleeding. That’s why they got that transparent stuff on it– to keep a close eye on it.“

Steve looks down and sees how much blood has already pooled under the transparent dressing and drops his head back.   _T_ _his just keeps getting better_.  Eyes closed against anything else he’s not going to want to see, he exhales with a sigh worthy of Job.

 

II. Facing His Fans 

“Boss- it’s good to see you!” Mincing words was never her style so when Kono gets close enough to see his arm, she doesn’t, “Shit boss– what did they do to you?”

He gives her a little shrug and seems almost amused-the continuous morphine they put him back on, partially to blame, “I’m getting a … bionic arm,” he deadpans.

"So is _this_ it?"

Danny has to give the girl credit, she’s right up there next to the bed staring at Steve’s arm like it’s an interesting piece of evidence.

“What the goof means is that in a few days, they'll put a titanium rod in his arm to fix his fracture-then, they’ll sew him up and he can stop loafing around."

“So that’s the new game plan?” Chin asks.  The way his forehead furrows says he's not liking what he's seeing.

“Yep, looks like our esteemed leader won’t have to worry about being mobbed by crowds wanting to autograph his cast after all.”

Chin slips up to the bedside, “You doing okay, Steve?”

“Yeah … I jus … wanna get out a'here.”

“Soon brah, but don’t rush it. Give your body the time it needs to heal.”  As Chin gently rubs his shoulder Steve’s eyes start to drift shut.

“We keeping you awake, boss?” Kono teases.

Eyes closed, “Nah… I’m … fine.“

He really is.  He just can’t keep his eyes open for more than a few minutes, courtesy of the morphine drip they put him on to keep him still.

Danny had warned him.

So had his nurse.

And his big blustering surgeon.

But since SEALs know so much more than mere mortals, when no one was watching he tried to sit up and swing his legs over the side of the bed-no way he had stay flat on his back. 

It had taken Peronne a half hour with a portable Bovie to stop the bleeding and, after that, a unit of blood to get his hematocrit back up.

“So we’ll stop by and see you tomorrow, brah,” Chin murmurs..

“ ‘kay…. see'ya.” The loopy grin on his face makes all three of them laugh out loud.

Danny rolls his eyes, “What can I say? The guy’s a cheap date.”

_______~_____

The Governor has been kept up to date by Danny all along but stays away until Steve's incision is closed. She gives him a day to recover after that and then breezes in unannounced with a bouquet of balloons and armful of presents.

Standing next to his bed Danny has to bite back a giggle.

Talk about an uncomfortable super SEAL.

Hell the guy can go up against shoe bombers single handedly but here’s the Governor fussing and fretting over him and he looks like he’s about to have a stroke. She's asking him if his arm hurts and tsk- tsking about the gash over his eye and he’s tugging at the sheet and running his hand through his hair and looking like he wants to fall through the floor.

“Are you in pain, Steve?” Her hand settling on his bare leg makes him flinch like he just got burned. 

“No … I’m f … fine.”

“You’re not uncomfortable having me see you like this, are you? “

 _Like this,_ iswith a sheet coming up between his bare legs to cover only what needs to be covered because he's running a fever and they don't want to trap the heat with too many covers.

His chagrined expression when he glances down at his bare chest instantly answers her question.

“Now don’t you be silly, Steven McGarrett. I’ve raised two sons and trust me,  you don’t have anything I haven’t already seen."  Her eyes travel from his abraded knuckles and swollen hand to the unit of blood dripping through his IV. Her voice softens, "You really took a beating out there, didn't you?"

Danny knows she means well but has to help Steve, "That he did but right now he's setting all kinds of records for fastest recovery, ever. Heck, he'll probably be out of here before you can visit him again." 

She doesn't  even look over, "Don't you rush it Steve," wiping the hair off his forehead, "You stay here until they tell you you're really okay to go home, do you hear me?" 

"Yeah ... I do."

“You better." She finally looks away, "Here I brought you a few things."

_________~________

Danny helps unwrap the gifts and gives an appreciative whistle when he sees the portable Blu-Ray player. “Now _that’s_ a nice present, Steve.”

“Yeah … thanks … a lot.” He looks like he doesn't have a clue.

There are movies to go with the Blu-Ray, three of them. One’s a documentary on military strategies from The Vietnam War until present time and Steve actually lights up a little when he sees it. The others have him frowning in confusion. Danny, on the other hand, is downright gleeful. “Wow, I had no idea these were out yet.”

“Oh, they aren’t, but rank does have its privilege, you know?”

“I should say it does," he huffs, "What do you know, Steve, you've got two of the  movies nominated for best picture,”

They both smile when they see his eyes have drifted closed and his mouth’s dropped open.

The governor whispers that she better be going and Danny agrees that it’s a good idea because Steve is really beat. He waits a few minutes after the door closes behind her before he cracks up, “ I got to hand it to you, “ he chuckles, “that was pretty impressive. I even thought your were asleep, at first.

 

III. Facing the Music

“Remember,  you lose four days of conditioning for every day you’re in bed,” the lanky physical therapist tells Steve. It’s post op day two and they’re letting him get up for the first time. He really wishes the guy would be quiet and just let him do this.

“So use the side rail to pull yourself up, that’s it,” Lanky Guy says. “Then slide your legs over the side of the bed and let them dangle. Don’t forget to keep breathing … there, how’s that feel? “

_How’s that feel?_

Like he’s returning from six months in deep space.

“F... fine,” he lies, taking a deep breath.

“You okay Steve?” Danny asks from his other side, where Paul told him to stand in case he needs a little help.

 _A little?_

When he stands up he’s so rocky it looks like he’s coming off one hell of a bender. His arm is in an immobilizer so Paul’s on that side and has wisely put a transfer belt around his waist which he tugs on to steady him. On his other side Danny grabs him by the elbow, “Whoa buddy, take it easy -you okay?”

He doesn’t answer because he’s too busy concentrating on not passing out- something his body seems hell bent on doing.

“Just stand here for a second and get your bearings, Steve,” Lanky Guy says, “relax your legs, wiggle your toes, don’t tense up like that, you have to let the blood get to your head.”

“I got to say Steve, that’s some nice ass you're showing us,” Danny teases, trying to get him to growl something back which would at least make him unclench his jaw.

He feels the cool air back there and knows his bottom is hanging out  but doesn’t give a damn. All his concentration is on getting the roaring in his head to stop.

Finally it nearly does.

“You ready to try a few steps?”

 _Is he kidding?_   He’s ready to walk to the bathroom and pee like a normal human being – something he’s been begging to do ever since the first surgery. With Danny and Lanky Guy flanking him, he takes his first step and then a few more. For a second he thinks that he’s got this thing licked. Then, all of a sudden, out of nowhere, his legs go rubbery and the roaring in his ears comes back with a vengeance. 

“You doing okay? ”

Lanky Guy's voice sounds like it’s coming from farther and farther away.

“Steve?”

Danny’s does too.

Then the damn floor he’s staring at starts to waver in and out of focus and everything goes pitch black.

Thankfully Lanky Guy’s strong and used to this kind of thing and Danny’s strong too and between the two of them they keep him hitting the floor. “We need help in 918 !” the physical therapist yells as they half drag, half carry Steve toward the bed. A nurse runs in followed by a tech and between the four of them they get him in bed. The nurse slaps some oxygen on him and gets his vital signs, which are shaky but improve pretty fast. Needless to say he’s pissed when he comes to and demands to try again. Danny laughs ands asks him, “What part of  _No_  do you not understand?” like he’s talking to Gracie when she wants to stay up on a school night.

It’s just a little set back and by the next morning he actually does make it all the way to the bathroom. He has to sit to pee because he starts feeling dizzy but at least he doesn’t have to use the damn urinal and that feels as good as any extremely successful special ops mission ever did.  

 

IV. Free at Last!

“I’m telling you I don’t need that.” Steve glares at the wheel chair like it's rigged with explosives.

“Of course you don’t babe, but how about we just humor everyone and ride downstairs in it anyway? “

The way he huffs when he plops down in the thing says loud and clear that he’s had it – that this is the last, and he means, the last, indignity he plans to suffer in this place.

“See. This isn’t so bad, “Danny teases, grinning from ear to ear as they head toward the elevator. There’s a chorus of “ Bye Steve!” and “We’ll miss you!” from the nurses’ station and Danny gets a big kick out of watching Steve blush as he gives them a half hearted wave. “Looks like someone has quite a fan club? “

“Shut up, Danny.”

 

“You okay boss?” Kono’s asks, craning to see his face from behind the plant she’s carrying, “you look like you're hurting?”

“I’m … fine.”

“You just want out, don’t you brah?” Kamekona chuckles, giving Gracie, whose hand he’s holding a wink. “I don’t blame you. This place scares me and little one, here, big time.”

They finally make it to the circular driveway in front of the hospital and Danny’s glad he forced Steve to take a pain pill for the road because when he drops down into the passenger seat he bites his lip and holds his breath and there’s no hiding the fact that his arm hurts. Of course he gives Danny the evil eye when he asks if it does and says he just needs the seat reclined a little, which Danny does without teasing because he sees the dots of sweat on his lip.

“Here you go, buddy, just lay back and enjoy the ride. There is that better?" 

Steve’s eyes are closed and he doesn’t say anything but Danny can see he’s already more comfortable as he fastens his seatbelt around him. “What do you say we get the hell out here?”

It's not like he needs Steve to answer that one. 

It takes a minute to get the balloons and plants and Gracie stowed in the back. Then there’s a  _See you, brah_ and _Take care,boss_ , from Chin and Kono and finally, Kamekona slaps the side of the car and pronounces it time to get this show on the road.

Windows down because Steve insists on feeling the fresh air on his face they pull out into the mid morning traffic on Luhala St. There’s a CD of Danny’s playing a song that Gracie knows all the words to which makes Steve smile to himself and the air smells incredibly fresh which also makes him outright smile. In fact, just about everything seems to make him smile now that he’s finally free. Eyes closed and feeling a little bit like he's floating, he can hardly believe he was really stuck in the hospital for ten days.

After all,  _it was just a broken arm._


End file.
